Believing Beyond Doubt: Strengthening Your Faith Daily
How can strengthening your faith on a daily basis help your relationship with the Lord and help your everyday life?
“And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears,
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
Mark 9:24
At the ripe old age of 52, I’ve entered a new era of inflexibility that greets me each morning as I rise out of bed. My back aches, my knees creak, and a disorienting dizziness awaits me if I sit up too fast. My morning pace is a bit slower, and more deliberate as I begin the day.
And you know what? Even though this happens every morning and has for the last three years, I’m still surprised daily by this new middle-aged reality. Who has time to stretch every single morning and take vitamin supplements and blood pressure medication? I guess the answer is me.
I’ve found that my faith also needs daily strengthening.
When I’m surprised by the trials that accompany life in this broken world, disappointed by the foolishness around me (or in me!), or fearful in the face of disturbing world news, I can become surprisingly untrusting in my thinking. I can wonder if God is in control or does He care. I wonder why He allows evil to go on for as long as it does.
And just like I can’t ignore my physical aches and pains in the morning, I can’t ignore the warning signs in my life that alert me to the fact that I may be spiritually malnourished, or I may not be walking by faith. Sinful reactions like discontentment, anger, complaining, self-pity, fear, envy, or even blaming God for the turn of events in my life, show me I am failing to believe all that God has said in His Word.
These questions and sinful reactions reveal that in those moments of questioning God, I’m unbelieving His Word. And that’s the opposite of faith. It’s un-faith, un-trust. Ouch. When you say it out loud it’s pretty horrible.
Just like I need to take my vitamins and blood pressure medicine, I need to take deliberate action for my spiritual health as well. In the face of my doubts, I need to choose to believe God’s Word and receive the spiritual blessings available to me as I spend time prioritizing God’s Word.
In His Word
When we look at Mark 9, we find an unusual story of a man whose child was tormented by an evil spirit. The father brought the boy to Jesus’ disciples for healing but they could not cast out the demon. He must have panicked and wondered if all hope was lost.
In desperation, He went to Jesus for help:
“But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” the boy’s father pleads with Jesus (Mark 9:22-24).Did you catch that big IF? Is there anything too hard for the Lord?
And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23)
I love this honest answer: “I believe” coupled with a prayer for grace to believe! “Help my unbelief!”
Sometimes my faith vacillates. How about you? I’ve been a Christian for over 40 years and in my mind I believe that walking by faith should be easy…second nature!
But in reality, each time I face a disappointment, or unwanted or unacceptable circumstances, walking through them takes slow deliberate faith steps. I still need to put parameters around my thinking, and check the pulse of my heart for desires that may have morphed into demands. Oftentimes, I need to stay my mind on the Lord and quiet my shaky emotions. I need to watch my words and choose thankful speech instead of complaining. In other words, I believe, but I need help for my areas of unbelief!
Jesus What A Friend for Believing & Unbelieving Sinners!
One of our childhood catechism questions asks, “Where do we learn how to love and obey God?” Answer: “In the Bible alone!” Only as we go to the Bible, can we learn how to love and obey God.
Belief is simply trusting that God is who He says He is and that He does what He says He will do. It’s taking Him at His Word.
When our faith is weak in our actual everyday life, God’s Word is the source of spiritual nutrition for the knowledge of God that will inform my walk with God so that I can be faithful to God as I walk the path He has ordained for me.
Every time I go to the Lord and choose to believe Him as an act of the will in the face of my very real limitations and unwanted circumstances, I’m walking forward in faith and obedience, no matter how stretched or shaky I feel. My faith is being strengthened.
In Your Life
Do you believe God, but desire more grace to trust Him more?
Pray the Mark 9:24 prayer! “Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief”, and ask God for more grace!
Cast all your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)
Then sit with your Bible and read, purposing to get to know the character and attributes of God.
That hard thing in your life that you wish you could change? See how the Scripture speaks to this issue, and counsel yourself with God’s Word.
If you long to be a woman of unwavering faith no matter what life holds, turn to the Master in times of faltering faith. He will strengthen you, hold you, and help you. (Is. 41:10) He is the faithful One who will meet every one of our needs, including our need for faith to believe.
We Recommend
Satisfy My Thirsty Soul by Linda Dillow is a great resource for women who want to know God more deeply. I appreciate her approach to walking a worshipful life by bowing our life, words, attitudes, and work, and waiting at the feet of Jesus.
A wonderful resource for learning meekness and trusting God’s sovereignty is As Silver Refined by Kay Arthur. It’s a great study for seasoned believers who have experienced life’s inevitable disappointments.
Let’s Connect
Sarah Beals is a wife, mother of six, and grandmother of 6. She lives in beautiful New England and writes about Christian living, home education, hospitality, and creative pursuits at Joyfilleddays.com and on Instagram.